Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi: Rome – review

Saturday 14 May 2011 19.05 EDT
First published on Saturday 14 May 2011 19.05 EDT

Inspired by 60s spaghetti western soundtracks and named after the city that wasn't built in a day, this album from star producer Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse, and composer Daniele Luppi has taken an appropriately epic amount of time to complete. It was recorded over five years in a dusty Roman studio with ageing orchestras and analogue equipment. Solid vocal appearances from Jack White and Norah Jones remind us it's the 21st century, as does Burton's fastidious production style. His precision works against him here: the album lacks the eccentricities that enliven the music of Ennio Morricone, who casts a long shadow over this project.